Guernsey’s network of Ruette Tranquils’ Green lanes, Water lanes, tracks and bridleways are perfect for exploring the hidden gems of our unique Norman French culture, Turbulent history of Piracy and invasion and of course the beauty of our very sleepy country parishes.

We have put together varied routes that will suit the casual flat ground cyclist right through to those of you that love the hills. Each tour has a different focus and will visit a selection of our finest off the beaten track attractions and a few of our really famous ones too!

So be prepared to discover bunkers, Norman churches, witches, ancient chambers, splendid views, quirky houses, Guernsey life and loves, customs and peculiarities in the best way possible, by bike!

Our tours are led by local accredited guides and cyclists. Transfers are available for groups. We will supply hire cycles and helmets but you are welcome to use your own if you wish. Tours last from 2 to 3 and a half hours.

Guernsey Northern Beaches Tour (ideal for visiting cruise liners)

Starting from the White Rock Pier or Ferry terminal, this tour is over flat ground and examines the history of the often invaded Northern Parishes and the Braye de Valle which once cut Guernsey in two. Find out more on this gentle exploration of our fertile lowlands.

Winter can be a long slog. Going to work as it gets light and going home in the dark. One of the antidotes to this is to do something active and outdoors at the weekends. It refreshes, can be exhilarating and lifts the soul…the best part of the week.

It is a quiet time for us, but we are still going out (Check out our facebook page for pictures). When conditions are suitable we would like to encourage you to join us, so we have decided that all our regular activities will be available as normal but you can bring someone along for free! Effectively half price activities if you share the cost. There is no restriction on quantity so if you book for 4 people you get 4 free places.

The winter days are colder but all we need to do is wear the proper kit. We will advise you what to bring and we have lots of kit available. For the kayaking we use the sit in kayaks which keep you warm and dry. A great opportunity for sit 0n top paddlers to try it out. For the coasteering we have thermal layers and use helmet liners and gloves..simple.

Our open sessions will only go ahead in conditions appropriate to the groups experience. There are some beautiful winter days ahead and what better way to get some exercise, fresh air and experience the beauty and wilderness of Guernsey in the winter..I am feeling better already.

The ‘Bring a friend’ deal runs for over 16’s till April. Our regular sessions run on Saturdays and Sundays but if you have time during the week and would like to go out just give us a call (01481 267627, face book or email) Any excuse!

We a really pleased to announce a great new venue for outdoor archery activities on Guernsey. We have installed a new outdoor range at The Farmhouse Hotel in St Saviour and are now able to offer archery activities on any day of the week with the Farmhouse offering great facilities for a post activity meal or drinks.

Archery is a very sociable and competitive activity and is a great activity for parties, sports and social events, hen and stag parties, corporate entertaining or just a social get together. Our instructors will give full instruction and look after safety, then run lots of fun competitions and games. The Farmhouse Hotel offers a choice of dining options, beautiful gardens, a pool and conference facilities.

The range can be booked by groups of 4 or more by the half hour. 1 hrs of archery costs just £10 per person, 90 minutes £15 and 2 hours £20. Great value and a great venue. For enquiries call 1481 267627 or email bookings@outdoorguernsey.co.uk

Director Ant Ford Parker represented Outdoor Guernsey at the 7 October meeting of NWSF (national water safety forum) coasteering safety working group in Poole. Hosted and chaired by Steve Wills of the RNLI, the working group consist of many of the major providors of coasteering throughout the UK. Including Wales, Cornwall, Isle of Man, Scotland and Guernsey.

The group was invited to form by the RNLI in an attempt to reduce the number of injurys caused by ‘tombstoning’ in the UK it has resulted in the recognition of coasteering as a competely seperate activity and one which is supported by NWSF.

The meeting concluded with an agreement by all attendees on two documents, These are: Good practice guidence for coasteering providors and Skills & competences for coasteering guides. Attendees also agreed to meet on a later date to form a national assossiation for coasteering. Outdsoor Guernsey is already working to the new agreed guidelines and will have a representative at the assossiation meeting pushing for all providors to meet high standards in training and delivery of this exciting activity.

The Bailiwick of Guernsey has some of the best coasteering environments in the UK and will become an important and popular venue in the future. The experience Outdoor Guernsey has in providing coasteering activities will be invaluable in maintaining high standards and managing the environment for many years to come.

Outdoor Guernsey teambuilding events are really starting to take off on the Island and as part of our drive to raise awareness of the bensfits to business of developmental and motivational training we will be supporting and attending this C.I.T.D organised talk by Steve Williams. It promises to be an extremely interesting and useful event, hope to see you there.

www.737challenge.com.

Having achieved the ultimate in honours for

his country, Steve Williams, MBE and OBE, is

the perfect example of what dedication, hard

work and commitment can bring. His next big

adventure is the “737 Challenge”, in aid of the

Marie Curie charity, where he will be joining

the likes of Sir Ranulph Fiennes and other elite

adventurers to tackle Mount Everest and visit

the North Pole. As part of the training, he has

just returned from a 6-week expedition climbing

Cho-Oyu in the Himalayas. Steve is definitely

not a man to rest on his laurels!

Steve was selected for the Olympics in 2004,

joining Matthew Pinsent, James Cracknell and

Ed Goode. Millions of Brits were glued to their

screens in the historic final, which produced

one of the most exciting finishes ever seen and

brought an Olympic Gold medal for Steve’s

ever-growing collection. Defeating Australia

to win the 2008 Olympic Gold medal at the

Beijing Olympics was the icing on the cake.

Steve is not at all blasé about his achievements

and willingly admits that it is the hours and

hours of gruelling training, pushing through

his own limits, that has given him the success

he craved. His renowned rowing coach, Jurgen

Grobler, constantly instilled into the team the

ethos that “the rest of the world is not going

to stand still. There are four guys elsewhere in

the world killing themselves to kill you on the

water, and it only takes one stroke’s difference

to win or lose.”

With that training instilled into him and his

passion and enthusiasm for the sport he so

obviously loves, it’s no wonder his focus has now

moved to inspiring others at events, business

motivational training, team-building and

presentations.

His motivational talk in Guernsey takes place

at the OGH on Thursday 14th October from 4pm.

For tickets and more information, contact

Stephanie Bass at C.I.T.D. on 01534 737701. To

find out more about the 737 Challenge log on

to

Steve Williams, MBE and OBE, is coming to Guernsey. Winner of two Olympic Gold rowing

medals in the Coxless Fours for Great Britain and numerous World Championships, this

competitive sportsman is about to grace our shores as he gives a motivational talk at the OGH.

During 2010 we have taken part in an assessment of our activities and procedures by the UK based Adventure Activities Licensing Service. (AALS). This type of licensing inspection is carried out in the UK on all activity providers wishing to prove that their activities are safe and properly regulated. The license provides local authorities, education establishments, schools and the general public with the peace of mind that activities such as kayaking, coasteering, climbing, abseiling, archery etc are conducted to high and consistent standards.

At this time, Outdoor Guernsey is the only Channel Island provider to have participated in a consultancy inspection carried out by the Adventure Activities Licensing Service. (extract from the report)

The insection was commissioned by HSE Guernsey and consisted of a management review phase including detailed analysis of our procedures including staff qualifications, induction, training and competencies, activity management systems, incident reporting and emergency procedures.

The inspection also involved a site visit by the inspector who joined a coasteering session to observe the instructional staff and check that written procedures were followed in practice.

A detailed report was produced and a few reccommendations and suggestions have been implemented. The report has been examined by HSE Guernsey and we are very pleased to say we have their full support to continue to operate all our activities as a result. This should give all local and off Island authorities, schools and youth groups full peace of mind when booking our activities.

Outdoor Guernsey is now are now entering its 4th year of operation and we are starting to get a good feel for our market and some of the trends. I thought it may be useful to pass on some of our findings and thoughts. We have collected data in the form of booking records and feedback forms and also invested time and effort in our web presence, the analysis is giving us interesting feedback.

Our core business is in the provision of recreational adventure experiences. Short 2 hour kayaking and coasteering trips make up the bulk of what we do. They are aimed at people with little or no experience and designed to show off the Island environment as well as the give an introduction to the activity itself. They have proved popular with both locals and visitors. Many locals use our trips to show off their Island to visiting family and friends during the annual holiday visit.

Our other main and expanding business are our corporate teambuilding events the benefits of which are well known within most industries and can be very cost effective and beneficial to businesses particularly in a tough financial climate where spending on ‘perks’ is curtailed. Providing Sports and Social clubs activities is also a significant part of the rest.

The split between locals and visitors using our service is roughly 50%, the website visits show roughly the same split. An analysis of our records for 2009 show that 54% of our business was built up from word of mouth or repeat bookings. Adverts and leaflets (traditional) account for 21% and our web presence 22%

We are working hard with a local company Purple Coffee Interactive on a number of projects to enhance the influence of our internet activity. Study of our analytics give us good information which we are able to use to target advertising and develop activities. Whilst the bulk of our UK searches seem to come from urban conurbations near travel links coming to the island for short breaks. In 2010 we have seen a significant increase in advance bookings of activities where the client has chosen the destination (Guernsey or Herm) based purely on the services we offer and then the location. This is giving us the first indications that Guernsey doesn’t just sell itself by being Guernsey. We should have a quality product to attract the attention and then use it’s obvious charms to clinch the deal. People are searching for activities or team building and choosing Guernsey as the place to do it. This proactive approach is seeing Outdoor Guernsey being rewarded with significantly increased group bookings from both private individuals and corporate clients in the UK looking to entertain or team build in our unique environment. Feedback from these bookings is incredibly positive with repeat bookings and, significantly for Guernsey, return visits promised in many cases.

The age range of our customers may be worthy of note. At holiday times family units tend to be main users but at all other times, regular sessions (other than pre-booked groups) the 30 to 50 age group are dominant with many customers in the upper age ranges. The feedback from these groups is consistently telling us that our alternative to the traditional walks, tea shops and museums is very welcome. European visitors are also noticeable in this group.

We are seeing a very big growth in certain sectors of our market which we will continue to develop. The internet and local partnerships with other key businesses are vital as well as close monitoring of trends. We also believe the marketing of Guernsey as a destination, tourism or corporate, could benefit from a significant change in direction and investment in support for complimentary businesses such as ours. The television marketing of the Isle of Man, Wales and even Jersey was very high profile over the winter and showed them as interesting, active and attractive vital places. We have a location and environment to rival them all, people just need a reason to come here.